Microarrays are most prevalent in research laboratories as tools for profiling gene expression levels because thousands of probes can interrogate a single sample. Their utility is less ubiquitous as diagnostics for clinical, environmental, and agricultural applications despite their information density, redundancy, embedded controls (positive, negative), and analytical sensitivity. The barrier to adoption of microarrays as diagnostics tests is predominantly due to their operational complexity and cost (often hundreds of dollars per test), as well as technical problems associated with microfluidic devices containing a microarray, such as the unpredictable behavior of fluid flow caused by air bubbles in the microfluidic devices. For example, bubbles can clog channels, interfere with biochemical reactions (particularly those that require surface interactions), cause improper proportioning, interfere with optical reads, and result in unpredictable flow. Unpredictable flow is particularly a problem for systems that rely on steady diffusion of an analyte to a binding partner, such as an oligonucleotide or a capturing antibody. Accordingly, there still exists a need for microarray-based microfluidic detection systems that are designed to provide predictable fluid flow and can be manufactured at a low cost.